Connecting Panasonic DVD Recorders with DV input to PC

[PeBo]

Hi all,
I wrote a driver which allow connect a Panasonic DVD Recorder with DV input to Personal Computer. After connecting the recorder can be used as a simple DV D/A Converter (e.g. Preview Monitor in a video editing application) or as an MPEG2 Encoder (for DVD-Video mastering).

Driver has been tested with DMR-EH55 and DMR-EH60 recorders, but the driver should work with any recorder with DV input. Application tested: WinDV (windv.mourek.cz), Windows Movie Maker and Vegas 6.0. Because the drivers acts as a filter between firewire stack and standard MSDV driver, any video application which supports DV video should work.

See readme.txt (in zip file) for further information. See also:
https://forum.videohelp.com/viewtopic.php?p=1605300
https://forum.videohelp.com/viewtopic.php?t=317012
https://forum.videohelp.com/viewtopic.php?t=324477

Please send a suggestions or notes to this topic or to e-mail mentioned in readme.txt.

PeBo

pdrflt_1.0.2.zip

[lordsmurf]

How would one use it as a MPEG-2 encoder? How does the MPEG-2 data get from the recorder to the computer, exactly?

Have you tested this out with a JVC recorder, by chance? They might be similar in this function.

[PeBo]

How would one use it as a MPEG-2 encoder? How does the MPEG-2 data get from the recorder to the computer, exactly?

The recorder can record a DV video from PC directly to DVD-Video (that means to MPEG-2 format). You can transfer the DVD-Video back to the PC using DVD media, of course. But it is not practical. But for users who want master a DVD-Video disc directly in recorder, without further processing, from video editing application, it is sufficient solution.

Have you tested this out with a JVC recorder, by chance? They might be similar in this function.

I have Panasonic recorder only and thus I don't test any other recorders. But there is certain possibility that it will work too. Send me a private message about exact type of your recorder.

[lordsmurf]

Oh, you mean go from computer to DVD recorder. I thought your driver turned a DVD recorder into an external DV capture devices for computer. Had it backwards.

[PeBo]

Update: resolved compatibility issue with Enosoft DV Processor

PeBo


pdrflt_1.1.0.zip

[nlec]

This does not work for the DMR-ES20. The DMR-ES20 recorder does not report any subunits, which means none of the following device IDs exist:

AVC\Panasonic&PANA_DVD_REC&TYP_1C
AVC\Panasonic&PANA_DVD_REC
AVC\Panasonic&TYP_1C

There are entries for 1394\PANASONIC... and 61883\PANASONIC... but there is nothing under enum AVC. Without one of the above 3 device IDs there is no match for the driver and it cannot be installed or used.

This is probably true also for some other Panny DVDRs. Perhaps the hard-disk models report AV/C subunits, but the non-hard-disk models do not.

[yumagah]

I just discovered this software on the web:


http://www.video2dv.com/index.php?lang=en&page=vid2dv

It looks like it is meant for copying video direct from PC to camcorder. Any ideas if it would work to a DVD recorder? Or will it be looking for camcorder signals that a recorder won't have?

[edDV]

Hi all,
I wrote a driver which allow connect a Panasonic DVD Recorder with DV input to Personal Computer. After connecting the recorder can be used as a simple DV D/A Converter (e.g. Preview Monitor in a video editing application) or as an MPEG2 Encoder (for DVD-Video mastering).

Driver has been tested with DMR-EH55 and DMR-EH60 recorders, but the driver should work with any recorder with DV input. Application tested: WinDV (windv.mourek.cz), Windows Movie Maker and Vegas 6.0. Because the drivers acts as a filter between firewire stack and standard MSDV driver, any video application which supports DV video should work.

See readme.txt (in zip file) for further information. See also:
https://forum.videohelp.com/viewtopic.php?p=1605300
https://forum.videohelp.com/viewtopic.php?t=317012
https://forum.videohelp.com/viewtopic.php?t=324477

Please send a suggestions or notes to this topic or to e-mail mentioned in readme.txt.

PeBo

pdrflt_1.0.2.zip

This is potentially a good solution for using a DVD recorder as a real time hardware MPeg2 encoder. This is highly useful for those capturing to DV format and editing in DV format. At a minimum this is good for quick encodes to DVD or for monitoring the time line.

While Core2 Duo machines can encode MPeg2 faster than 1x speed, DVD authoring is a two step process that usually takes longer.

[SingSing]

Can you include the source file ?

[PeBo]

This does not work for the DMR-ES20. The DMR-ES20 recorder does not report any subunits, which means none of the following device IDs exist:

AVC\Panasonic&PANA_DVD_REC&TYP_1C
AVC\Panasonic&PANA_DVD_REC
AVC\Panasonic&TYP_1C

There are entries for 1394\PANASONIC... and 61883\PANASONIC... but there is nothing under enum AVC. Without one of the above 3 device IDs there is no match for the driver and it cannot be installed or used.

This is probably true also for some other Panny DVDRs. Perhaps the hard-disk models report AV/C subunits, but the non-hard-disk models do not.

Hmm, your observation is interesting. But this isn't good news, because the PDRFlt driver depends on AVC class.
I haven't a solution for this situation.

[PeBo]

I just discovered this software on the web:


http://www.video2dv.com/index.php?lang=en&page=vid2dv

It looks like it is meant for copying video direct from PC to camcorder. Any ideas if it would work to a DVD recorder? Or will it be looking for camcorder signals that a recorder won't have?

I think that the software would work. The driver behaves in similar way as camcorder (with DV input). You can try it.

[nlec]

Hmm, your observation is interesting. But this isn't good news, because the PDRFlt driver depends on AVC class. I haven't a solution for this situation.

There is no good solution. I wrote a driver that sort of worked but I ran into some problems and stopped working on it. I have recently been using a miniDV camcorder which I write DV video to from my PC, and then I use my DMR-ES20 to get the video from the camcorder. It works but it's not practical. For an hour of video it takes an hour to transfer it to the camcorder and then another hour to transfer it from the camcorder to the Panny. Blech. Making a DVD right on the computer is faster than that.

[yumagah]

I have contacted the tech support at Video2dv.com and he says it should work. But so far I have not even been able to get my system (WinXP Home, Turion 3200) to recognize the Microsoft DV Camera and VCR Driver. I first had to download the Microsoft patch that contained the msdv.sys driver. That is now installed, but the Video2DV software still does not offer the driver as choice, which it should.
Right now I'm reading all I can find on sending video out thru firewire. There isn't a whole lot about it on the web.

[DVWannaB]

This is a great topic and filled with hopefuuly some promise. This is an area I would be greatly interested in pursuing and testing. I have a JVC, Pioneer & Toshiba with DVin. I would love nothing more than to be able to convert some processed/filtered VHS video in Avisynth and saved as a Huffy *.avi in Virtualdub. Then drop on a timeline in Vegas and output via firewire to my recorder for realtime MPEG2.

Keep this thread alive.

[nlec]

I have a JVC, Pioneer & Toshiba with DVin. I would love nothing more than to be able to convert some processed/filtered VHS video ... and output via firewire to my recorder for realtime MPEG2.

That describes my exact interest as well. It would be a nice capability to have for many projects. For hard-core DVD authoring I will stick with PC tools, but for casual encoding to DVD the realtime nature is attractive.

You can do it as long as your recorder exposes a tape subunit on the Firewire bus. Not all of them do (such as my Panasonic DMR-ES20). Is that also true for your JVC, Pio and Toshiba recorders? In other words, they don't show up on your Windows PC when you connect them together with Firewire?

[JohnnyMalaria]

Interesting thread!

Out of curiosity, I tried connecting my Insignia NS-DVDR1 external DVD recorder to my system running Vista. It did not go well!

After many minutes, Vista announced that it had found a new 61883 bus class device. It installed some generic driver and, in doing so, completely destroyed the existing driver stack. Therefore, connecting a camcorder failed miserably. I couldn't get any DV device to be recognized on any of the FireWire ports (I have two sets - one on a PCI card, the other integrated with the motherboard).

So, I tried to uninstall the driver for the 61883 bus class device - but after 5 minutes, Vista was still trying to uninstall it. So I resorted turning off the machine.

It's back to normal now.

I might try it on my XP SP2 installation instead....

[lordsmurf]

The JVC units already do this. We talked about it 3 years ago. Go find some old threads.

[JohnnyMalaria]

I think you've missed the point here, namely that those brands that don't co-operate with Windows can be made to do so with this driver.

[nlec]

The JVC units already do this. We talked about it 3 years ago. Go find some old threads.

And in the US if someone wanted to get one they'd be looking at 3-year old hardware too. I think the trend of the thread is how to make a Firewire xfer happen on units that don't offer all the bells and whistles. Personally, if I wanted to spend the amount of money that a good JVC unit costs, I'd rather spend it on a new PC that I would dedicate to encoding video 24x7.

[nomanisanisland]

Hi all I got a Panasonic dvd rec DMR E95H and I'd like to transfer the media in the hdd of the dvd rec to my computer, I tried to use the program pdrflt, my computer recognizes the dvd rec as a camera or something like that in fact it asks if I want to transfer the pictures (but there's no pic on my dvd-rec). So I ask you Is there a way to ransfer videofiles directly on my pc as if I connected the dvd recorder as an extarnal hdd ?? Pliz let me know

[JohnnyMalaria]

The FireWire port on your DVD recorder only works in one direction - i.e., for input. You can't send video out of the FireWire port to your PC.

To get at the data on the hard drive you (probably) need to open the case of the DVD recorder, disconnect the hard drive's data cable and connect it to your PC instead. (Most DVD recorders use hard drives and optical drives with standard IDE interfaces.) Whether it will work will depend on the file format used for the hard drive. I'm never delved into it, so I can't specify which format is typically used. I'm sure someone has, though.

[lordsmurf]

The JVC units already do this. We talked about it 3 years ago. Go find some old threads.

And in the US if someone wanted to get one they'd be looking at 3-year old hardware too. I think the trend of the thread is how to make a Firewire xfer happen on units that don't offer all the bells and whistles. Personally, if I wanted to spend the amount of money that a good JVC unit costs, I'd rather spend it on a new PC that I would dedicate to encoding video 24x7.

Well, luckily a JVC can be found for about $100-200 used, refurbished, and sometimes even new.

[kor952]

Hi,

I am new here, I was searching (for a long time) on the web for a driver to connect my notebook to the DV(-in) of my Panasonic DMR-EH65 just to watch videos on my TV-screen. I endlessly tried to modify the MSDV.inf, AVC.inf and MSTape.inf so I would be able to do so. But I did not succeed. I was very and I mean realy happy to find such a driver in this thread. The only problem is that I am using Vista Ultimate instead of XP. I installed the driver anyway and tried several programs to work with this new driver. At the end there is only one program that does the job it is Video2DV. All the other programs (like WinDV, DVIO, Pinnacle Studio 11, Enosoft DV Processor) are giving errors or other problems (I did not test Sony Vega 8 ). It is not very stable, first of all after installing the driver you have to disconnect and connect the DV cable again to get the 'blue' screen, and you better make it the only program running on your system. I also run Video2DV in XP compatible mode. I already managed to copy quite a few movies to the HD of my DVD/HD recorder, and also watched some movies and picturesequences in real time. I tried to change some items in the PDRFIt.inf file to make it more compatible with Vista but that did not change much, still the only program that does the job is Video2DV.

I was wondering how others are doing who are using this driver with both XP and Vista and wich programs they use.

Just to let others find this thread I want to add the following line:

PANA_DVD_REC AV/C Subunit

Hopefully more people who are using google will find this thread.

Petr, thanks again for writing this driver.

[PeBo]

Hi all,

now I am working on driver for Windows Vista. There are some compaibility issues, current version (1.1.0) is not stable, it causes frozing of applications using DV device. As temporary (and not perfect, of course) solution you can rename PDRFlt.dv file to PDRFltO.dv. This file is placed in \windows\system32\drivers folder. It turn off DV input simulation (see readme.txt).
Installation of driver is no problem on Vista (at least for DMR-EH55). Of course, you must select manual installation. select folder with unzipped driver and confirm dialog about unsigned driver.

Stay tuned!

PeBo

[kor952]

Hi Petr,

Funny that you mention to rename the .dv file, in Enosoft DV Processor, I only see a blue screen in the input screen (if I select the right input driver) but I cannot get it to the ouput screen. But I will try it with the renamed .dv file this afternoon.

Thank you in advance for developping the Vista driver.


Here I am again......

I did try it with the renamed .dv file as suggested by Pebo, now there is no input blue screen in Enosoft DV Processor. But all the apps, named above still do not work except for Video2DV this is the only app still functioning. Sometimes I have to unplug/plug the DV cable and restart Video2DV to get it working.

[HamishT]

how do you actually install this driver? Im trying to connect my laptop to my dvd recorder via firewire.

I have Vista, and the EH67 recorder, but when I plug it in, nothing comes up saying 'found hardware'

[munchkin]

Hello,

Just to say to anyone who might be interested that I've managed to successfully use PeBo's PDRFlt driver to feed DV video from my PC (running Windows XP / Premiere Pro) into the DV input of my Sony RDR-HXD890 DVD / Hard Disk recorder. I'm using it to preview the real-time output from Premiere Pro on the TV, which saves masses of hassle in otherwise rendering, burning DVDs, etc.

To get it to work, I just changed the 1394 device names in the .inf file to match the Sony recorder, and also added a 'date' section to the .inf file, so that windows installs this driver in preference to to its generic 'Sony DV Player/Recorder' AV/C device - i'll post the modified .inf file if it's any use to anyone.

I believe that the current Sony DVD recorders are basically the same inside as Pioneer models, so would expect it to work for those as well.

Thanks PeBo for the driver !

[vanpouck]

I would be interested in seeing the modified .inf file for SONY recoderder. I would like to build one for the SONY RDR-HX

[munchkin]

Here's my modified .inf file for the sony machine - i've replaced the panasonic entries with one for the sony - I should really have just added them, so it works for both brands, but this is just how it ended up.

pdrfltsony.inf

[Boby]

REVERSAL:

pardon let me get to the point first; I want to take files from the HDD recorder to my >> PC, how am I going to do that?

************please this thread is important *************